Hi, everyone

[SoldierNurse]

The school is "Valdosta Technical College" but the name will change in July to "Wiregrass Technical College" and the program is RN w/associates.

Technical College? Are they accredited?

[suebird3]

It's pretty much a Community College; difference is the name.

[ayb1202]

Thank you for your advice, I will take it in consideration!

Just checking in. Inquirers, welcome and hope to see you in the fold soon.

ayb, glad classes are going so well for you. While there is tremendous appeal to that two year program, finishing early and saving a ton of tuition being two huge reasons, allow me to make a case for your staying enrolled in that four year program. I don't expect ASN-RNs to soon meet the same fate that LPNs did years ago, there is definitely movement within the governing bodies of nursing to make the BSN preparation the gold standard at least in the acute care field. At present, there is no significant pay difference, if any, and no job description difference however, this may not be true for very long. For a look into the future, watch what's happening in Magnet hospitals.

Cheers,

R

[cali510]

:60: Welcome to the site.

[ayb1202]

yes they are accredited

[SoldierNurse]

yes they are accredited

:cool:

[Ricu]

Yes, Magnet hospitals are accredited. Now look closely at what is expected/required for nursing credentials at Magnet hospitals. The expectation is that the majority of nurses have BSN degrees or higher and there is a lot of pressure to seek advanced certifications. ASN nurses are "encouraged" to attain BSN degrees or at least have an education plan. Keep in mind that there is some "gentle" pressure from governing bodies like the ANA and AACN to have Magnet certification the gold standard for all hospitals. In addition to the Magnet movement, popular nursing publications imply that the BSN should be the new entry level education expected for nursing practice citing at least one relatively recent study that inferred care provided by BSN nurses was linked to better outcomes than care provided by ASN/LPN level nurses.

We all should be monitoring this.

R